Females Are More Susceptible to ACL Tears

Females Are More Susceptible to ACL Tears

Tearing the ACL is now considered an epidemic in the United States over 100,000 recorded incidences are reported each year (Moeller). While such a finding may be good for orthopedic doctors and surgeons, this is not good for millions of athletes’ competing these days in high intensity sports. This is especially a problem for female athletes who are two to four times more likely to tear their ACL than men (Moeller). This is one of the biggest mysteries about ACL tears is the difference between the number of injuries seen in women and men. Women tend to tear there ACL far more frequently then men. While not everyone agrees that gender itself is the source of the problem, evidence is growing that females are learning too late that participating in sports can also become the first step to ruining an active lifestyle.

In spite of this the rate of ACL injury is almost equal through all levels of sports, from beginner, to recreational, to professional athletes. The most widely publicized incident of ACL damage has come from Theresa Edwards who was a top female athlete. She was a basketball player who went to the limit with sports. She went beyond her capability and her ligament couldn’t withstand the pressure and snapped. She is not the only but just one example of many who have suffered this same problem. As female athletes continue to become more competitive and aggressive, ACL damage continues to rise.

In order for athletes to save their active lifestyles they need understand the ACL. The ACL is the most important ligament in the knee because it provides stability to the knee. Athletes have to be aware of the importance of the ACL and know its functions in order to preserve the ligament. The ACL otherwise know as the anterior cruciate ligament is the ligament in the knee that connects the upper leg bone which is the femur to the lower leg bone which is the tibia. The anterior cruciate ligament crosses with the posterior cruciate ligament inside the center of the knee joint to stabilize to the knee in movement.